Closure and suspending device for bags open at the top



March 4, 1969 Q s K ET AL 3,430,754

CLOSURE AND SUSPENDING DEVICE FOR BAGS OPEN AT THE TOP Sheet of 5 Filed Feb. 7, 1968 w r RAv 3 N50 N n r W Y B March 4, 1969 c. TH. MESEKE ET AL 3,430,754

CLOSURE AND SUSPENDING DEVICE FOR BAGS OPEN AT THE TOP Filed Feb. 7, 1968 Sheet 3 of 5 INVENTORS: 0/7 7 M 4942 BY %WI/0r- March 4, 1969 c. TH. MESEKE ET AL 3,430,754

CLOSURE AND SUSPENDING DEVICE FOR BAGS OPEN AT THE TOP Filed Feb. 7, 1968 Sheet of 5 United States Patent Oifice 3,430,754 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 3,430,754 CLOSURE AND SUSPENDING DEVICE FOR BAGS OPEN AT THE TOP Curt Th. Meseke, Leer, Ostfriesland, and Winfried Winkler, Laurensberg, Germany, assignors to Hammer-Lit G.m.b.H., Leer, Ostfrieslantl, Germany Filed Feb. 7, 1968, Ser. No. 703,783 Claims priority, applicatign Germany, Feb. 11, 1967,

82 US. Cl. 198-177 20 Claims Int. Cl. B65g 17/20; nssa 33/14, 33/28 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a closing and suspending device for bags open at the top, especially laundry bags, said closing device consisting of a cord or band extending around the upper gathered bag portion.

A safety closing device for bags is known which comprises a chain adapted to be placed around the upper gathered portion of the bag, a locking member and a safety device. The safety device in the form of a wire member assures that a member of the chain is non-rotatably held in a slot of narrower width which, however, is thicker than the chain link. This known bag closing device, in addition to the chain, requires the locking member and the safety device so that the closing device is relatively expensive to manufacture. A suspending on a suspension device and an automatic opening of the bag after it has been thrown off the suspension device is not possible with the just mentioned device.

There has also become known a band-shaped closing device for bags to close the upper gathered portion of the bag which has one end of the band provided with perforations and with reinforcements spaced from each other. These reinforcements can be passed through said perforations which taper in the longitudinal direction of the band so that always one reinforcement rests on the edge of the tapered part of the perforation whereby an annular closure is formed. This closing device likewise fails to afford the possibility of an automatic opening of the bag when it is released from the suspension device, and furthermore is likewise expensive to produce.

In modern laundry establishments there exists the problem to an ever increasing extent to transport the filled laundry bags from the place where they are filled to the washing machines or in a washhouse to transport the filled laundry bags from the laundry acceptance station to the washing machines. Similar problems present themselves with regard to the transport, the release from a suspending device of a transporting means, and the opening of the bags in other kinds of establishments where filled bags have to be transported to a certain station where they are released from the transporting device and at the same time are opened.

In this connection it is desired that the bags are thrown off the transporting or suspending device of the transporting device without the contents of the bag considerably opening the gathered end of the bag thus preventing said contents to drop out of the bag. It is furthermore desired that the closing device remains suspended on the suspending device of the transporting means so that it will not be lost in the further course of the washing process and can easily be grasped and used again for further employment. Similar requirements apply to the suspending of the bags on other suspending devices, for instance, for a temporary storing of the filled bags until the contents therein are to be washed. By suspending means is generally meant any means on which the filled bags provided with the closing device are suspended, although in most instances such suspending device will be used in connection with a transporting means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a closing and suspending device while the bag is held by the suspending device in such a way that it can be stripped off therefrom and will simultaneously open without causing the contents of the bag to drop out.

It is another object of this invention to provide a closing device and a suspending device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, according to which the closing device will remain on the suspending device in such a way that it can easily be removed therefrom.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a closing device in the form of a ring.

FIG. 3 shows the closing device of 'FIGS. 1 and 2 put around the gathered upper end of a bag together with a suspending means.

FIG. 4 shows the process of applying the closing device and the suspending device to the gathered upper end of a bag.

FIG. 5 shows a cord or string section which is folded in the form of a U and knotted, with the legs of the U protruding beyond the knot.

FIGS. 6 and 7 indicate the application of the closing device shown in FIG. 5 to a bag.

FIG. 8 shows a modified closing device in form of a cord which differs from that shown in FIG. 5 primarily in that there are two knots.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the employment of the closing device of FIG. 8 in connection with a bag and a suspending device.

FIG. 11 shows the possibility of producing closing means similar to that of FIG. 8 from a continuous double band or cord.

FIGS. 12 to 14 illustrate a still further modification of the present invention and its employment in connection with a transporting device.

The closing device and suspending device according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the closing device formed of an annular or loop-shaped cord, string, or the like, is placed around the gathered upper end of a bag in the manner of two interconnected parallel hooks while the suspending device is formed by a rod, hook, or the like, which extends between the outside of the gathered upper bag portion and the portions of the string or cord which interconnect the two hook-shaped sections or extends through a further loop of the string or cord. Preferably, the string or cord is non-elastic and forms an endless ring or a two string cord with one or more knots for forming rings or loops.

The suspending device may be provided with a cam or nose or the like which following the stripping 01f of one of the string or cord sections which connects the two hook sections will retain the second connecting section on the rod or hook-shaped suspending device.

The suspending device may be equipped with a forkshaped stripper, a deviating plate or the like by means of which at least one string or cord section is stripped off the suspending device or by means of which the bag is so positioned that one string or cord section will slip ofi the suspending device.

The suspending device may also be tiltable in such a way that at least one cord or string section slides off the suspending device. With such an embodiment, the suspending device may be of a shape similar to an anchor while one loop of the cord or string-like closing device hangs over one anchor arm Whereas a second loop hangs over the second anchor arm.

The ring or loop which forms the closing device may, according to a further embodiment of the invention, he adjustable as to its inner diameter. To this end, the ring may be formed of a string or cord placed in a position so as to form a U with the legs of said U interconnected by a knot or a displaceable bead. The cord or string ring may also consist of two parallel string or cord sections which are interconnected by spaced knots, beads, or the like. With the embodiment having U-shape formed string or cord and also when employing two parallel string or cord sections, at least one knot, bead or the like may be adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the string or cord. The knots or beads form a reinforcement relative to the two legs to be interconnected or the two parallel string or cord sections. The ends of the legs of the two parallel string or cord sections may freely protrude beyond a knot or head.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the closing device according to the embodiments of FIGS. l4 comprises a ringe 1 of a non-elastic string or cord 2 which is flexible in all directions. The size of the ring is clearly evident from the further embodiments and the suspending device.

The placing of the ring 1 around the upper gathered bag portion 3 is effected in such a manner that ring 1 is formed into the shape shown in FIG. 2 which comprises two hook sections 4, 5 and two portions 6, 7 interconnecting the hook sections. The two hook sections are to be placed so that they are parallel to each other, and also the two portions 6 and 7 should be parallel to each other while the portions 6 and 7 are at about a right angle with regard to the hook portions 4, 5.

The size of ring 1 is so selected that, as will be evident from FIG. 3, the hook sections 4, 5 of the ring extend around the gathered upper bag portion 3 in a U-shaped manner and that the rod or bar-shaped portion 8 of the suspending device 9 extends between the outer surface of the gathered bag portion 3 and the two portions 6 and 7. In this way the filled bag 10 may in closed condition be held on the rod or bar-shaped portion 8 of the suspending device 9. The suspending device may form a part of a chain track or another transporting device which conveys the bags, for instance, to a wash house or to and from the same.

For releasing the filled bag 10 from the suspending device 9, the ring 1 is, for instance, by means of a forkshaped stripper (not shown) displaced in the direction of the arrow K on the rod-shaped section 8 to such an extent that the outer portion 7 of ring 1 slips olf the front end 8a of the rod-shaped section 8. In this way the loop around the bag portion 3 by ring 1 is eliminated and the filled bag can be deposited upon a support without causing the gathered upper bag portion to open so that the contents of the bag will not drop out.

Preferably, the rod-shaped portion 8 has a cam or nose 11 Which in the starting position according to FIG. 3 is located between the two portions 6 and 7 of the ring and is so arranged that when the ring is displaced in the direction of the arrow K, the portion 7 will slide off the front end 8a of section 8 whereas the portion 6 will be retained on the suspending device.

The suspending device 9 on which after the opening of the bag 10 the ring 1 is retained may also be hook-shaped, and for purposes of causing one portion of the section 8 to slip off, the suspending device may be tilted. It is also possible, by means of a stripper plate laterally to deviate the bag 10 to such an extent that the ring 1 will slide 01f with its portion 7 from the front end of member 8a.

The ring suspended on section 8 may be stripped off simultaneously with the bag or later. However, if desired, it may also be returned to the suspending station for the bags in case the suspending device forms part of a transporting device.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 5, the ring is formed by a string or cord 12 placed so as to form a U shaped contour. The two legs 13, 14 of said U-shaped contour are connected to each other by a knot 15 while the legs 13, 14 are extended beyond the knot. These extensions 16, 17 may be used for carrying the bag. This string or cord which similar to the string or cord of FIG. 2 can be bent or curved in any direction, may be placed about the upper gathered portion 3 of a bag 10 so that the knot 15 is located within the inner arched portion 18 of the loop 19 as shown in FIG. 6. The release of the closure from this position is efiected by stripping the section 20 which forms the arch 18 over the knot 15 which means that the section 20 is pulled in the direction of the arrow L over the knot and the extensions 16, 17.

If it is desired to employ the closing device according to FIG. 5 in the manner described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4, the knot 15 may be brought into the position 15. This, however, is not necessary if the rod-shaped portion 8 of the suspending device 9 is not too thick. The suspending of the bag and the stripping off of the bag is effected in the same manner as described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, which means that the closing device has a contour according to FIG. 2 and the rod-shaped section 8 extends between the outer surface of the gathered bag portion 3 and the sections 21, 22 while the section 22 comprises the knot 15.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 8, there is again employed a string or cord 23 of a U-shaped contour which string or cord in addition to the knot 15 has a further knot 36. Knot 36 interconnects the two legs 34 and 35 with each other in spaced relationship to the first knot 15. The legs 34, 35 again form extensions 24, 25 and a loop portion 19 is formed. The advantage of this embodiment consists in that by means of the loop 19 the gathered bag portion 3 may be closed if the bag is to be suspended on a suspending device, whereas by means of the loop 26 between the two knots 15, 36 the gathered bag portion may be secured in conformity with FIG. 10 and the bag may be suspended by means of the rod-shaped section 8 of the suspending device 9. To this end, the two loops 19 and 26 may have a different width in order to take into consideration the thickness of the rod-shaped section 8 and the type of the closing device according to FIGS. 9 and 10.

The embodiment according to FIG. 8 furthermore yields the possibility to suspend the loop 19 on a hook or a rodshaped portion 8 of a transporting device together with the bag so that the bag also after stripping off the loop portion 19 from the suspending device, will still remain closed but can be easily opened when stripping the corresponding cord or string section over the knot 36. The device according to FIG. 8 furthermore affords the possibility to close the bag in nonsuspended condition and to suspend the bag in closed condition without running the risk that the bag will open up when it is being taken off. Furthermore, the bag according to FIG. 10 can be suspended on the suspending device so that when one of the closing portions is stripped 0E, the bag will open automatically. The legs 13, 14 of the loop 19 and the extensions 24, 25 may serve as handle for the bag.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 11 there exists the possibility to cut off a closing device from a continuous double string or cord with spaced knots 27, 28, 29. The cut may be effected by means of scissors 30 at the distance of two or three knots so that a device is obtained which in its efiect equals that of FIGS. 5 and 8. The knots 27, 28, 29 may be evenly or unevenly spaced, but should be provided at a periodically reoccurring sequence and distance.

According to the embodiment of FIGS. 1214, a closing device 50 is employed with three loops or rings 51, 52, 53, said loops 52, 53 being defined by the knots 54, 55, 56. The intermediate loop 52 is wound around the upper bag portion in such a way that the loop 51 is pulled through the intermediate loop 52 and both knots 54, 55 are located adjacent to each other as it is shown in FIG. 13.

The transporting and suspending device 60 shown in FIG. 14 com rises a downwardly opening box profile 61 and also comprises anchor-like members 62 which are movable in the direction of the arrow W and which are tiltable from the position 62' into the position 62". This tilting is effected in the plane of the two anchor arms 63, 64 about the upper end of the intermediate web member 62a which may have the shape of an eye or a ring 62b which hangs on the axle 620 of two rollers 62d. The loop 53 of the closed bag is suspended on the arm 63 while the loop 51 hangs on the arm 64. The loops 51, 52, 53 are preferably so designed and arranged that the bag S hangs on the loop 51, and the loop 53 has such a length that the bag S has a certain medium drop height whereby the knot 54 can slip out of the loop 52. This occurs when the part 62 is tilted from its position 62' into the position 62 as shown in the central portion of FIG. 14. The tilting may be efiected by a ramp in the form of a guide plate 65 or the like. If the bag with contents is heavy enough, the loop 53 need not or need only be slightly longer than the loop 51.

After the bag S has been dropped, the string or cord closing device 50 hangs on the arm 63 and may be withdrawn therefrom manually at any desired station or may be removed therefrom by tilting the anchor-shaped portion into a position which is the reverse to that shown in FIG. 14. To this end, the member 62a may have an extension 62c which is adapted to abut a ramp or ledge 62 on the inside of the profile 61. The roller pairs of the anchor-like part 62 on the axles 62c of which the members 62a are suspended are interconnected by means of a chain or a pair of chains 62g in the form of an endless ring. For a better purpose of illustration, the chain pair is shown only partially.

The closing device 50 of FIGS. 12-14 has the advantage that the bag S also without hanging on the part 62, for instance, in standing up condition, can be closed (see FIG. 13). If it is sufficient to hold the bag closed only in suspended condition, a closing device according to FIG. 8 may be selected. The end 19a of the loop 19 is in the vicinity of the knot passed between the two loop portions 13, 14 which extend around the upper gathered bag portion, and is suspended on the anchor arm 64. On the other hand, the loop 26 is suspended on the arm 63. When the part 62 is tilted, the loop end 19a slides past the knot 15 and the loop portions 13, 14 and thus releases the bag S.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means limited to the particular embodiments referred to above but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

It is also to be understood that the term string means in the claims not only covers string, but also cord, ire, and similar tying material.

What we claim is:

1. For use in connection with the closing, suspending, transporting and releasing of bags open at the top, especially laundry bags, the combination of: a bag having a normally open upper end, said upper end being gathered so as to be approximately closed, closing means in the form of loop means placed around the gathered upper end portion of said bag so as to form around said gathered portion two superimposed U-shaped sections having their superimposed leg ends respectively interconnected, and suspending means extending through said loop means and operable to release one portion of said loop means to free said gathered bag portion and thereby said bag while retaining another portion of said loop means.

2. For use in connection with the closing, suspending, transporting and releasing of bags open at the top, especially laundry bags, the combination of: a bag having a normally open upper end, said upper end being gathered so as to be approximately closed, closing means in the form of loop means placed around the gathered upper end portion of said bag so as to form around said gathered portion two superimposed U-shaped sections having their superimposed leg ends respectively interconnected by connecting sections at least partially located in a plane approximately perpendicular to the planes defined by said U-shaped sections, and suspending means in the form of bar means extending between said superimposed U-shaped sections and also between said connecting sections and the adjacent outer surface of said gathered upper end portion of said bag.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said loop means is formed of an endless ring of string means.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said loop means is formed of two strands of string means tied together so as to form a closed loop.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said suspending means includes abutment means for retaining a portion of said loop means on said suspending means when another portion of said loop means has been stripped off said suspending means.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes stripper means operable in response to an engagement by said suspending means to strip a portion of said loop means 011 said suspending means for releasing the respective bag from said loop means.

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes means operable to be engaged by said suspending means for tilting the latter to thereby release a portion of said loop means and thereby the respective bag suspended thereon.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, in which said suspending means is tiltable to such an extent as to cause at least a portion of said loop means to slide off said suspending means.

9. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which that portion of said loop means which engages the gathered portion of said bag is adjustable as to its effective inner diameter.

10. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said loop means is formed by a piece of string means knotted together near the free ends thereof.

, 11. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said loop means is formed by a piece of string means having its free ends held together by a bead.

12. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said loop means consists of at least one piece of string means with oppositely located sections connected to each other by spaced knots.

13. An arrangement according to claim 12, in which at least one of said knots is adjustable relative to another knot.

14. An arrangement according to claim 4, in which portions of said loop means extend beyond the area where said string means is tied together.

15. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said loop means comprises at least two serially arranged loops.

16. An arrangement according to claim 15, in which successive loops respectively define openings of different size.

17. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which said suspending means is in the form of a tiltable anchorshaped member comprising a first arm and a second arm arranged near one end of said first arm and transverse thereto.

18. An arrangement according to claim 17, which includes rail means for guiding said anchor-shaped member thereon, and abutment means mounted on a portion of said rail means Where the bag is to be discharged and adapted when engaged by the anchor-shaped member to tilt the latter for releasing the respective bag suspended thereon.

19. An arrangement according to claim 18, which includes connecting means operatively connected to said anchor-shaped member for moving the same along said rail means.

20. An arrangement according to claim 17, in which said anchor-shaped member is tiltable in two directions in the plane of its second arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,584,889 5/1926 Peebles 198177 2,661,828 12/1953. Vogt et a1. 198-177 XR 10 ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 150-11 

